Immigration Initiative 2017-07...Sign Up to Gather Signatures!

HERE IS A CHANCE TO DO SOMETHING EFFECTIVE TO FIGHT TRUMP and his bigoted agenda and meet like-minded people in the process. You will be pleasantly surprised by the many folks who will thank you for your work. The initiative helps the county in 3 important ways:

prohibits county sheriff and his officers from acting as immigration officers;

requires an order from a real judge before a county employee can hand a person over to immigration authorities (vs. a warrant from an immigration hearing officer)

Here is our best script , so far:

"Are you a San Juan County Voter? (yes) Well, I don't want to waste your time or mine ... if you are opposed to Trump's immigration policies then you are likely to want to consider signing this petition. (usually a big smile). If not, I don't want to waste your time or mine. (Response, positive) This initiative is trying to keep the Feds from forcing our county employees to work for them enforcing federal immigration law (of course, without additional funding!!). The initiative is just to put the issue on the November ballot for folks to vote on."

Then you talk about

how if the police start helping ICE, then people will be scared of reporting crimes if they risk having ICE notified.

although we have good policies in place, as well as a resolution ... that is just resolve (like I resolve to lose weight each years ha ha) and that we need a law, an ordinance to follow, not just the good will of our elected officials.

how this initiative sprung from the encouragement of Attorney General of Washington, Bob Ferguson in his 104 page April 2017 Guidance Concerning Immigration Enforcement, for counties and cities to pass ordinances following his "Best Practices".

If a person says that Gaylord says that everything is okay right now, that he is all in favor of and helps immigrants, or that this initiative would limit him, tell them that Eleanor Hoague has been working with him very amicably, trying to bring him up to speed; that she may be retired by she has some 40 years experience in immigration law and its implications; that Randy Gaylord is a little out of his area of expertise on immigration matters and what the county can and cannot do vis a vis the Feds; and that other prosecutors do not follow his positions or procedures in this area.